Stosuj

Stosuj is the Polish imperative form of the verb stosować, used to tell someone to perform an action. It is the second person singular form and appears primarily in instructions, guidelines, and procedural text. In English, it corresponds to “use” or “apply.”

Meaning and usage: Stosuj means “use” or “apply” in a direct, informal singular address. It is common in manuals, recipes, safety notes, and any context where a practitioner is asked to perform a concrete action. Examples include: “Stosuj rękawice ochronne,” meaning “Use protective gloves,” or “Stosuj się do zaleceń lekarza,” meaning “Follow the doctor’s recommendations.”

Imperfective versus perfective: In Polish, stosować is imperfective and describes ongoing or repeated action, whereas its perfective form zastosować expresses a completed action. For guidance that emphasizes ongoing adherence, stosuj is appropriate (e.g., “Stosuj zgodnie z instrukcją.”). If you want to indicate that the action should be completed, you would use a form of zastosować (e.g., “Zastosuj dwie łyżeczki.”).

Related forms and tone: Stosuj appears in informal or familiar contexts addressed to a single person. For groups or formal contexts, one would use stosujcie or proszę stosować, or rephrase to “Proszę stosować.” The noun form is stosowanie, meaning the act of applying or using, while the related verb stosować covers the ongoing practice.

Etymology and scope: Stosuj derives from the Polish verb stosować, which belongs to a class of verbs formed with the suffix -ować and denotes the action of applying, using, or employing something in a practical context.